Calypso wrote:The early info on Huntsman made me want to vote for him too...an open minded Republican?

I couldn't care less about a candidate's religious beliefs or lack thereof....it should not play into their political career or how they run a city/state/country. There's nothing wrong with being guided by the good principles of religion, but those are pretty much all about just being a good human being.

Not to be an asshole, but the idea put forth by Creationists that an atheist has no basis for a moral compass is utter hogwash. One thing I can say about atheists and ethical behavior is that we don't need our laws handed down by mythical stone tablets.

As the thinking animals we are, though of a much higher order, we understand from a very young age how to carry ourselves and treat others of our kind. When someone is hurt, we have an innate sympathy for them, religion heretofore undecided.

The belief in an all powerful being who will punish our misgivings is not necessary for humane treatment of our fellows. Almost to the contraposition, it is evident that humans act in accordance with the principles that bring order to the community without intervention from the divine.

IF we go back before religion, to the shamanistic cultures, ethical behavior was a natural phenomenon. The good of the tribe above all else.

Right, I guess my point was that in most religions there is a general concept of simply doing good. If using religion as an excuse is the only way someone knows how to do good things towards others, then so be it. But absolutely you don't need religion to just be a good human being. Religion causes more intolerance than anything else out there.

Being ethical is less about religion then some in religion...ok, in some branches of my religion would like you to think. Some of the most unethical people I've had the displeasure to know personally have been Christians. When someone goes out of their way to convey how much of a "god person" they are, I am suspicious. Its so often a ruse. And then there is the whole "what is ethical?" debates. I am part of a religious group that just branched out on to a larger religious format at Patheos.com. Discussing the ethics of abortion has not been really surprising, as the so called pro-life camp is unwilling to look at the big picture. (personally I'm for abortion, for medical reasons, for the mental and physical well being of the woman, and should be utterly based on her moral and ethical guidelines, no one else's)

We've learned from the ethical thinkers of our past, Siddhārtha Gautama, Confucious, Plato, Rabbi Hillel, all of whom have contributed to the ethical thoughts of later generations, including Christianity.

It would be nice to see a non-Christian in the hot seat, if only to see Pat Roberston, Rush Limbaugh and the entire staff at Fox News have collective coronaries.